Following this period, the UQM strategy then shifted to volume production, and the construction of a state-of-the-art new production facility and headquarters in Longmont, Colorado, where UQM installed significant manufacturing capacity to meet the requirements necessary to be a Tier One supplier.
In 2011, UQM officially launched production of the PowerPhase Pro® product line for an automotive customer. This system is now what UQM is well known for: developing and manufacturing compact, high efficiency motor and controller systems. UQM’s long and diverse history has led to customer-focused products, with advanced features like user-selectable torque and speed, and a motor, controller and software combination that’s optimized to work together in the most power-dense and efficient way for any given application.
Over the last few years, UQM’s focus has turned to commercial fleets with the PowerPhase® HD large-application propulsion systems. These systems are ideal for fleet commercial vehicles like shuttles, transit buses and trucks from companies such as EVI, Proterra, Hino and others. The UQM HD systems are also used in a variety of other applications; speedboats; sports cars; trains. Motorsports has been a showcase application for UQM over the years, and recently UQM supplied the electric motor and controller used in the Acciona electric rally car, the first zero-emission electric car to compete in the Dakar Rally, considered by many to be the most rigorous race on the planet. In addition UQM’s motor sports resume includes the previous feats of EV pioneer and famous risk-taker Chip Yates, who used UQM products in his record-setting electric motorcycles and electric-powered airplanes. UQM has worked with Chip over the years to achieve 18 world records and do things people never thought were possible.
In 2014 and 2015, UQM made major strides by achieving ISO/TS 16949 and ISO14001 certifications, which are considered to be the highest automotive quality standards, and this achievement lent a world-class cachet to UQM’s 130,000-square-foot Colorado manufacturing plant, which has a capacity for high-volume production.
UQM is now focusing heavily on bringing its OEM-level quality and production capacity to important emerging EV markets. In 2015 the company’s PowerPhase HD 250 received Chinese General Specifications certification from the China Automotive Technology & Research Center in Tianjin. UQM signed a 10-year production and supply agreement for UQM’s newly designed explosion proof motor systems, with Changzhou’s Keshi Group, a major manufacturer in the Chinese mining industry. In late 2015, UQM announced a major China customer- ITL Eastlake. The China truck and bus market has shown particular promise. From mid-duty delivery and work vehicles to heavy-duty vehicles and buses, these opportunities have provided a major market opportunity for vehicle electrification.
UQM’s business expansion has moved into other industries and addressable markets beyond vehicles that include: marine, energy storage, aviation, and fuel cell compressors. Many of these industries benefit from UQM’s proven high efficiency, high power output and robust design. The marine space is an example of a new growth market where marine fleet companies are advertising a payback period of 18 months for diesel replacement in fleets of ferries and patrol boats, and less than 12 months for gas engine replacement in commercial operation. UQM also acquired the fuel cell compressor module business of Roush Performance Products. Previously, UQM had supplied components for this compressor. Beginning in May, UQM took over manufacturing the full line of fuel cell compressors. Customers include Ballard Power Systems, a manufacturer of proton-exchange membrane fuel cell technology.
As UQM looks to the future, the company is confident that the many years in electrification and resultant expertise will position the company well in the wave of electrification that is reaching a tipping point in the global market. UQM is known by large and small companies alike as a technology leader, with the capability to produce high-quality products in volume. With the many new opportunities underway and exciting new markets like China, UQM expects growth in the coming years, which will allow the company to continue to be a leader in the electrification movement for many years to come.